March 2011
4 posts
1 tag
Anonymous asked: Hi David,
Just to let you know I enjoyed following your blog this month (I read each one!). On congrats on your month on the 'new evo' diet.
-Luciano B.
Just to let you know I enjoyed following your blog this month (I read each one!). On congrats on your month on the 'new evo' diet.
-Luciano B.
5 tags
Art De Vany and The Caveman Diet on Nightline →
Art De Vany, author of The New Evolution Diet, was on Nightline last night, talking about the Caveman Diet.
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/rethinking-meat-veggies-13034429?&clipId=13034429&playlistId=13034429&cid=siteplayer
March Challenge
Two months of 2011 have already passed us by! January led with the 10,000 Push Ups, Sit Ups, and 1,000 Pull Ups challenge. Next came The New Evolution Diet February Challenge, and next up is March.
So what to do? Well I’ve decided to combine two activities. Intermittent Fasting, and The Twenty Pull Up Challenge.
First the Intermittent Fasting:
One of the recommendations in the New...
February 2011
25 posts
2 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Wrap Up
Today wraps up a month on The New Evolution Diet. Here are the results:
Starting weight: 192.6 lbs (87.36 kg)
After one month: 186.2 lbs (84.46 kg)
Difference: -6.4 lbs (2.9 kg)
Starting Height: 6’ 1/2” (1.85 m)
Ending Height: 6” 1/2” (1.85 m)
Starting Body Mass Index (BMI): 26.1
BMI after one month: 24.6
Difference: -1.5
Starting Waist Measurement: 34” (86.36 cm)
Waist after one month:...
3 tags
A Month On The New Evolution Diet - Day 17
Primal Poker and a 24 Hour Fast
Day 17 started with a round of Primal Poker. This time I decided to play as follows:
Hearts - Push ups (2 times the card value) Total: 192
Diamonds - Dips Total: 96
Clubs - Weighted Squats Total: 96
Spades - Plank (10 times the card value in seconds) Total time: 16 minutes
To add a twist to it I made all Hearts cards with a value of 10 or higher decline push...
2 tags
The New Evolution Diet - Days 15 and 16
I’ve fallen a bit behind in my status updates due to work commitments. But I wanted to dash off a quick entry about days 15 and 16 on The New Evolution Diet.
So week 2 ended without much fanfare. On day 15 I didn’t do any exercise as I was busy finalizing my preparation for a webcast I was to give on Wednesday. Not much of note about Tuesday other than the brisket we had for dinner. I...
1 tag
Results of Week 2 On The New Evolution Diet
Monday wrapped up week two of The New Evolution Diet. Here are the results:
Starting weight: 192.6 lbs (87.36 kg)
After week 2: 188 lbs (85.27 kg)
Difference: -4.6 lbs (2.09 kg)
Starting Height: 6’ 1/2” (1.85 m)
Height after Week 1: 6” 1/2” (1.85 m)
(No surprise but I’m glad I didn’t shrink)
Starting Body Mass Index (BMI): 26.1
BMI after week 2: 25.5
Difference: -.6
Starting Waist...
3 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 14
Half way through a month on The New Evolution Diet and I’m feeling good! It was another nice day in Colorado, though not as nice as Sunday. A bit windier and cooler, but still for February nothing to complain about.
I’ve decided that this will be my last entry listing what I ate for each meal. I’m sure you are as tired reading about it as I am writing about it. For the next two...
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 13
About a 75 degree swing in temperature between Tuesday (-8) and Sunday (68) and with the sun shining it felt even warmer. It was strange to see kids sledding in shorts and t-shirts.
Exercise:
The goal for Sunday was a good long walk. I set out at 2:30 pm wearing shorts and a t-shirt and my iPhone, listening to The Black Swan by Nicholas Nassim Taleb. One would have to say that the peaceful...
2 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 12
Almost two weeks have past since I started following The New Evolution Diet. The month will be over before we know it. Not much different to report so I’ll keep this post short.
I installed the new router and added the new printer to the network yesterday. I’m realizing how ridiculous our technology situation has become. We have seven laptop tops and there are only five of us living...
2 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 11
Hitting the Big Iron.
Normally I prefer body weight exercises. You can do them anywhere. But on day 11, it was time to hit the Olympic weights.
So yesterday I headed down to the basement for a good old fashioned barbell workout. I warmed up with a Grok Hang, followed by a Grok Squat, each lasting 30 seconds. I then did another Grok Hang and Grok Squat for good measure. Next I loaded some weight...
1 tag
Are Carbohydrates Necessary?
My sister, who likes to tweak me now and then about my Primal zeal, sent me a link to an article that sounds like it was written by a publicist for the National Association of Wheat Growers, or maybe someone at Kellog’s.
The title of the article was Carbohydrates: Your Diet’s Fuel, and it was written by Diana Rodriguez, a freelance writer who apparently has experience writing...
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 10
Day 10 on The New Evolution Diet. In search of Coconut Butter.*
Exercise:
Nothing formal again today. I contemplated a strength training workout but decided to give myself an extra rest day so that I would be ready to hit the big iron on Friday. Kathy and I did spend some time doing some modern foraging. A trip to Sprouts Farmers Market for food and Vitamin Cottage (in search of coconut butter)...
3 tags
An Evening with Gary Taubes (Part 2)
As I discussed in part 1 of this two part series, Gary Taubes paid a visit to Denver on Tuesday February 9th to promote his new book Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.
Of course the purpose of an event like this is to pique interest in the subject and get people to buy the book, but Gary is passionate about this topic and wants to educate as many people as possible. He did a good job, in my...
8 tags
An Evening with Gary Taubes (Part 1)
Last night (February 9th) Gary Taubes came to Denver to give a talk about his new book, Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It at The Tattered Cover bookstore. The talk began at 7:30 pm and Gary was surprised to find out he only had 45 minutes to try and convince the audience that everything they had been told about why we get fat is wrong, and then explain the real reason based on his...
4 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 9
A short and sweet entry today. But I’m going to make up for it with a couple of other blog posts. The first will cover Gary Taubes’ presentation at The Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver last night. The second will discuss why carbs are NOT an essential part of a healthy diet.
But back to The New Evolution Diet results of day 9.
Exercise:
Nothing. Nada. Zip. In fact I took a nap...
4 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 8
Primal Poker anyone?
Week two of The New Evolution Diet started off with an epic workout. Mark Sisson posted a new Workout Of the Week (WOW) on Monday and I just had to try it. Yes I know yesterday I said I would focus more on barbell and dumbbell training this week, but I couldn’t resist this challenge.
How it works:
Take a deck of cards and shuffle them. Assign an exercise to each suit. Here’s...
3 tags
Results of Week 1 On The New Evolution Diet
Monday wrapped up week one of The New Evolution Diet. Here are the results:
Starting weight: 192.6 lbs (87.36 kg)
After week 1: 188.2 lbs (85.37 kg)
Difference: -4.4 lbs (2 kg)
Starting Height: 6’ 1/2” (1.85 m)
Height after Week 1: 6” 1/2” (1.85 m)
(No surprise but I’m glad I didn’t shrink)
Starting Body Mass Index (BMI): 26.1
BMI after week 1:...
5 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 7
Groundhog Day. Yes I realize that it was February 2nd. I’m referring to the movie, as I’m starting to feel like Bill Murray’s character with this snow. Every day feels the same. Wake up and look out and see a driveway and sidewalk that is in need of shoveling. At least I’m not waking up to “I Got You Babe” playing on the radio every morning.
Exercise:
A round...
4 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 6
Super Bowl Sunday! Was I able to survive the tempting goodies? For the most part yes. I passed on the pizza, potato chips, soda, and even alcohol. Where did I slip up? I snuck a few M&Ms from the candy bowl. Also, I mixed my BCAA and D-Ribose with one of those drink packets that contain Splenda. Artificial sweeteners aren’t allowed on The New Evolution Diet, but the BCAA doesn’t...
5 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 5
Snow snow snow and more snow. After a fairly balmy and very dry December and January, the front range of Colorado is getting its share of powder. It has been an epic winter for snow in the mountains and it is finally making its way to metro Denver. So snow shoveling has been a good part of my exercise this week and yesterday was no exception. Fortunately the heavy wet snow of Thursday gave way to...
3 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 4
Exercise:
Finally, a workout! I woke up energized and ready to workout. Filled my water bottle and headed down to the basement. Popped the P90X+ Total Body Plus video into the DVD player. Instead of describing the workout in this post, you can read about it here if you are interested in all the exercise moves it entails.
The workout takes 45 minutes including warm up and cool down. That’s...
3 tags
2010 Dietary Guidelines, Total Hogwash or Just... →
According to the USDA it cost $587,000 to develop the 2010 guidelines. A bargain compared to typical government spending, but still a waste of money.
While you are on Denise’s site, check out her demolition of the China Study.
*Hat tip to Dr. Michael Eades for the blog entry title.
4 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 3
Day 3 on The New Evolution Diet and everything is going well. I had a busy day with an airport run and work, but managed to stick to the plan pretty well with a couple of exceptions noted below.
Meals:
Breakfast: A cup of tea. In other words, nothing. I had to take Kathy to the airport this morning so I decided to throw in an unscheduled intermittent fast. I finished dinner around 7:15 pm...
3 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 2
Day 2 of The New Evolution Diet.
Exercise:
Tabata Sprints on the exercise bike. I warmed up for 1 minute by pedaling at a moderate pace. Then I set the resistance level to 4 and sprinted as hard as I could go for 20 seconds. I then pedaled slowly for 10 seconds. I repeated this sequence 8 times for a total of four minutes. By half way through I was gasping for air and my heart was...
7 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet - Day 1
February 1st was day one on The New Evolution Diet, my month long experiment following the program outlined in Art De Vany’s book by the same name.
First the stats:
Starting weight: 192.6 lbs (87.36 kg)
Height: 6’ 1/2” (1.85 m)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 26.1
Waist: 34” (86.36 cm)
Hips: 39” (99.6 cm)
Waist to Hip Ratio: 0.87
Chest: 41”...
3 tags
A Month on The New Evolution Diet
Today I am starting a one month program of following The New Evolution Diet, as outlined in Art De Vany’s book by the same name. Why am I doing this now? Well one reason is that February is the shortest month! Seriously, I am someone who likes to experiment and after reading the book I want to see what kinds of results I can get by strictly following the program. You can read my review of...
January 2011
14 posts
5 tags
The New Evolution Diet - A Book Review
The New Evolution Diet is a practical guide to eating, moving, and exercising like our Paleolithic ancestors. Dr. De Vany, an economist by training, did a great job of writing for non-academicians. But don’t let his lack of credentials in the fields of health and nutrition dissuade you from reading this book. He has applied his academic research training to this topic with good results. The book...
6 tags
Goodbye Jack LaLanne
I was sad to hear last night of the passing of Jack LaLanne. America’s first fitness guru was 96 and in excellent health until the last week of his life when he contracted pneumonia. Yesterday he succumbed to respiratory failure.
To say that Jack was an interesting man would be an understatement. He was definitely “old school” when it came to health and fitness (and no those...
Sous Vide - Slow Cooking the High Tech Way
A few months ago I bought a SousVide Supreme cooking system and I have been having fun using it to cook all kinds of meats. Sous Vide is French for under vacuum. Basically you place whatever you want to cook in a cook safe plastic bag, vacuum out all of the air, and then place the cooking pouches in a hot bath to cook for several hours, or even up to three days. What’s really nice is that...
Primal Leap Seminar →
If you are in the San Francisco Bay area on February 3rd and want to find out more about the Primal Lifestyle there is a free seminar at 7 pm in Danville. Come hear from Mark Sisson himself about the Primal Blueprint.
Stand in the Place Where You Live
…or work. R.E.M. had a great song about 20 years ago called Stand. What I’m talking about today is ditching the chair and standing while you work. Of course this advice mainly applies to people with desk jobs, but a lot of studies are showing that sitting for long periods of times is detrimental to your health, even if you exercise. As Art De Vany says: “Sitting is not just not...
10 tags
Lighten Up!
After the holidays are over and winter weather has set in, some people are afflicted with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression. It can happen anywhere people don’t get enough sunlight on their skin either from spending too much time indoors, or living above a latitude that provides adequate amounts of sunlight during the winter months. Anti-depressants such as Prozac and...
Going without Shampoo
OK, this is the kind of post that might confirm for a lot of my friends and family that I have finally gone over the edge. I haven’t washed my hair with shampoo since November 2nd, 2010. Many of you are now probably recoiling in horror at this news and are feeling great sympathy for my wife. While feelings of sympathy are probably justified, they shouldn’t be because of my hair.
What...
The Fattest Place On Earth →
Here’s a cautionary tale about adopting a western diet.
6 tags
Blog Roll
Here are some blogs that provide good information on the Primal/Paleo Lifestyle:
Marks Daily Apple – A wealth of information about Primal Living and it is all free. Mark Sisson updates his site daily and the archives are a treasure trove of information. You can find nutrition information, exercise ideas, recipes, etc. This is the site that got me hooked on a Primal Lifestyle. Interestingly enough...
Who Would You Rather Look Like?
Ok, this is for the guys today. I doubt most women would want to look like any of these guys.
I was annoyed reading a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal today, from Dr. Neal D. Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a vegan front group disguised as promoting “responsible medicine”. Another vegan’s tirade against animal...
Reading List (Part 2)
Here are some more book suggestions. These aren’t really related to the topic of Primal/Paleo, but offer good advice or a greater understanding of health and fitness issues, or, as in the case of Manthropology, are just fascinating reads:
Good Calories, Bad Calories - Gary Taubes, an award winning science journalist extensively researched the medical literature and studies related to weight...
Primal/Paleo Reading List
In my first post I mentioned that there were a number of Paleo/Primal books available. Here is a list of books that I have read or am currently reading. I love the Kindle for iPad app as it allows me to carry all of my books with me wherever I go. Yes the iPad has the iBook app but the selection of books available is a fraction of what are available for the Kindle. Electronic books are usually a...
Are you ready for change?
To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable. - Oscar Wilde
Every New Year it’s the same thing. People resolve to lose weight, exercise more and focus on their health and fitness. By the end of January 90% have slipped back to their old habits and either consciously or subconsciously feel like a failure. The diet books are...
